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Waverly

"It's all wonderful, the new Sokolov devices. Those fierce walls of light, keeping the riffraff at bay, and now we've got electrical lighting in the evening, making our garden dinners much more pleasant. And all it costs is a bit of whale oil simply plucked from the ocean. It's a marvelous age to be alive."

A wealthy woman and the youngest of the Boyle sisters, Waverly owns Boyle Mansion, the location of the mission Lady Boyle's Last Party. She is noticeably more paranoid and serious than either of her sisters – if Corvo Attano asks to take her somewhere private, she will rebuff him, saying she does not know him, or his family. On the other hand, she responds readily to the claim that her life is in danger (which validates her previously-held fears[2]), and complies with Corvo's instructions thereafter.

According to the Heart, Waverly "suffers from reckless frivolity, followed by long bouts of melancholy."[3]

According to two guests are her party, it is common knowledge among the aristocracy that Waverly likes to dress in red.

Now a matter of public record, it is stated that Lady Waverly Boyle was kidnapped by the obsessive Lord Brisby at the annual Boyle Masquerade in 1837. From there she was taken to Brisby's old family estate on an island somewhere, unable to return to Dunwall due to being marked as a criminal. A few years later Brisby disappeared, rumor speculating Wavely had arranged his disappearance, though no one could find any evidence. She is still alive by 1851, supposedly doing quite well for herself due to how rich Brisby had been.[5]

Esma

"Oh, but this is perfect, I love it! What happens next? Are you gonna tie me up?"

—Esma Boyle

The promiscuous sister,[6] Esma's sexual activities and untidy habits frequently put her at odds with her sisters. Waverly regards her as a drunkard,[2] while the Heart notes that she "drinks to forget herself."[7] Further investigation using the Heart reveals that Esma once gave birth to a daughter, a process that was excruciating for her. It is unknown whether the child survived or not, but the experience left Esma unable to become pregnant again.[8]

In her later years, it is Esma who continues the Boyle name. Still alive in 1851, she continues to hold a party each year at the Boyle Mansion. [5]

Lydia

"We have an exquisite old harpsichord. Do you play?"

—Lydia Boyle

The mysterious[9] and musical Lydia bemoans her inability to find a true musician in Dunwall to take as a lover.[10] If Corvo convinces her to go somewhere more private, she will take him to the music room. The Heart notes that she is one of the greatest musicians in all of Gristol,[11] a skill she has cultivated in the absence of sociability or great beauty.[12]

Lydia, sometime between 1837 and 1851 was presumed dead by the public, however she was still alive, locked away in a closed-off wing of the Boyle Mansion. The kidnapping of her sister drove her and Esma to argue, her sadness and anger being unbearable. At some point, she was dragged away in a straight jacket, because she had temporarily lost her mind. She spent months of isolation in a padded cell, being tended to by Anton Sokolov. Brought back to the house she was locked in a room, then being unlocked to find she was imprisoned within an entire closed wing of the house. Until then, no one had seen her in years, not even Esma.[13] She is later revealed to the public by a man named Zhukov, when he needs her to reveal a hidden vault beneath the Boyle Mansion to him. Eventually she is killed by Galia Fleet for her bones, at Zhukov's command.[14]

Trivia

Anton Sokolov claims that Lady Boyle has the "finest hindquarters in all of Dunwall".

If Corvo eavesdrops on Custis Pendleton's conversation with Violetta in the Golden Cat, the courtesan will suggest that she dress up as Lady Boyle for the evening. Custis in turn expresses anger toward Lady Boyle, particularly for the discovery of valuable crystals on her land. After some thought, he agrees to the courtesan's idea, saying he would like to "teach [Lady Boyle] a lesson."

As with all other assassination targets, if Corvo decides to murder Lady Boyle with his sword, a special animation plays. In it he will embrace her, then stab her in the stomach and gently place her corpse on the ground. If she is approached from behind, he will stab her in the shoulder, then as she falls to the ground he will stab her again in the neck.

The developers admitted via Twitter that they had been "wrongheaded" about the idea to give Lady Boyle to her stalker, and said that "she probably wrapped that pathetic adoring creep around her finger".[citation needed]

Though the game says that Lady Boyle can refer to the wife of the late Lord Boyle and her sisters, Harvey Smith states that this was most likely a mistake and that the Boyle women were meant to be Lord Boyle's daughters.[15]